Skip to main content

GLORY AND CHARACTER Tuesday 21 June

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye


MEMORIZE: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Ps. 8:4).

READ: Psalm 8:4-5

Colossians 1:27 says “…Christ in you the hope of glory”. It did not say the presence of Christ in your life gives you the assurance of glory. In other words, it is possible to have all of God’s gifts and still not end gloriously. Spiritual gifts without good character traits will only lead to shame. A woman who is gifted and beautiful but is lacking in character may most likely turn out to be a whore. Similarly, a man who is powerful, intelligent and highly gifted but is lacking character may end up in prison. If you doubt this, ask Samson. He was gifted and had tremendous power but became a prisoner to his captors and died blind, in his prime. If you are gifted but lacking in character, it will be difficult for you to produce glory, but very easy to produce shame.

Take for instance, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Before the fall, they were both naked but did not even notice it because God crowned them with glory and honour (Gen. 2:25). When God covers you with His glory, there will be no room for shame. No wonder the Psalmist wondered why God was paying so much attention to man (Ps. 8:45). Before man’s sinful career, Adam wore Heaven’s designer wear – glory. Adam knew true abundance. Imagine, God planted a garden which according to Bible scholars, is about the size of Lagos State (Nigeria) and he was put in charge. He could eat any of its fruits except one. Adam lived in that first earthly paradise and had tremendous rest. He also had so much strength. He could work without getting tired. Besides, he had tremendous wisdom. When God brought the various animals to him during this most remarkable naming ceremony in the Garden, his wisdom was unparalleled! He named them one after the other without repeating himself. His brain surpassed that of any professor of Zoology. When you are clothed in God’s glory, you can access uncommon wisdom that will make you to stand out. Do you know that even today, there are people who are carrying this glory who are being instructed by the unction of the Spirit (1 Jn. 2:20, 27)? What is more important to you – the gifts of the Holy Spirit or the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Ask for the grace to develop your Christian character through the fruit of the Spirit in you.


PRAYER POINT
Father, fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me develop the fruit of the Spirit in my life.

Bible in One year: Exod. 38-40

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BENEFITS OF UNITY Sunday 27 November

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 18:19) READ: Acts 2:1-4 U nity is a powerful force in the universe. However, uniting against God, His Word or His children causes God to arise in defence of His Name. This is the other side of power of unity. Barring this, unity can accomplish almost anything on the face of the earth. In Genesis 11:5-6, God said that if the people of the earth were left with one language and as united as they were in building the city and tower, they will be unstoppable. The united are unstoppable. Unity is a powerful tool for achieving plans and purposes. But if operated in righteousness within the Christian fold, it is even more powerful. “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it sha...
Post a Comment
Read more

DANGERS OF LOVING THE WORLD Sunday 4 December

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world.” (John 2:16). READ: 2 Timothy 4:10-11 W hen you love the world, it can affect salient arrears of your life. This is why we must pray for leaders to shun worldly lusts and focus on the things of God. The love of the world can stand between you and your requests. A leader who loves the world will be incapable of making effective intercession for the flock. The love of the world also terminates spiritual life. The fellow who loves the world will find his or her love for God ebbing by the day. With love for the world, it will be impossible to love God with all your heart. Yet, God demands 100% love from you. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. 6:5). “For Demas hath forsaken me, ha...
1 comment
Read more

YOUR VOICE SHALL BE HEARD Wednesday 26 October

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.” (Psalm 18:44). READ: Psalm 18:43-45 W hen Bartimaeus was steps away from his breakthrough, the crowd around him shouted him down. But by the grace of God, he doubled his efforts and cried out the more. He simply told the crowd: ‘If you think you have heard noise you have not heard anything yet’. The reality is that if you need help and send a faint cry in the midst of a crowd, they will want to shut you up. But if your cry is unparalleled, defying the voices of the opposition, there would be a general consensus by the crowd for you to be attended to, at least so that they can have their peace. This season, by the mercy of God, there will be a meeting of the crowd hindering your blessing and their consensus would be that you receive immediate attention. Another lesson from this story is that while peop...
Post a Comment
Read more